A semi-biased commentary on British and American politics, culture and current affairs

‘Mr Dijsselbloem suggested even if Greece voted to approve the bailout plan it would be hard for its eurozone partners to continue to trust Mr Tsipras’s leftwing Syriza government to implement it — hinting a new government would be necessary.’

The EU is escalating its campaign of intimidation against the Greek electorate in order to push them towards the “yes” vote they seek. Now efforts are escalating to oust the democratically elected Greek government whatever the result of today’s referendum. President of the EU Parliament Martin Schulz has called for the Syriza government to be replaced by “technocrat” rule until stability can be restored in Greece after its economic collapse. We have been here before.

We have already witnessed a post-modern, bloodless coup d’état in Athens before, as we did in Rome. Elected prime ministers were given a final, firm push and removed from power and replaced with Eurocrats appointed from Brussels, a former Vice-President of the European Central Bank and a former European Commissioner no less. They were appointed with the mission to impose policies approved by the EU but rejected in general elections.

Mario Monti appointed himself finance minister as well as prime minister and a government was installed in Italy without a single elected politician. The fragile pretence of EU democracy collapsed, and the dictatorial nature of the centralist new European empire was exposed. Apparachiks in Brussels ruling through colonial governors in Athens and Rome, overseen by the ECB in Frankfurt and the government in Berlin dissolved national democracy. The electorate in the Euro colonies were cut out altogether.

It may very well be true that the electorate in both those countries were exasperated by their own politicians; perhaps some even felt relief at the prospect of outside control, but we cannot pretend that it’s anything resembling democracy. They were governments installed to keep those countries in the euro, whatever the cost and because the “project” is more important than democracy, more important than the little people, and more important than any suffering caused by keeping incompatible economies in the eurozone.

The problem is, that while we must acknowledge the clear cases of bad governance in Greece, as well as Italy; it is EU technocrats that have helped bring about the economic and social disaster in the first place. In order to expand the EU into Athens, the economic and debt criteria were overlooked (the same was done for Italy). In fact, Lucas Papdemos – the EU approved and appointed former Greek prime minister – was running the Greek central bank at the time!

The euro project is perceived as more important than the economic prosperity of any single state. Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus have all suffered for this ideology. Technocrats oversaw the rise in spending and debt in all of these countries and, when disaster struck, with a disapproving air and undue arrogance they stepped in to sign off accounts, impose economic policies, and even to rule directly without a democratic mandate.

By appointing what were, in effect, appointed provincial governors, the EU signalled the anti-democratic direction of travel. Nothing has changed since then. The EU has sacrificed Greece on an ideological altar. Their people are suffering from an economic depression far worse than was seen in the depression of 1930’s America due to the economic policies imposed from Brussels. The EU has loaded Greece with a debt far beyond what it can ever hope to repay; where is the solidarity?

Syriza is not a party I approve of, and is another party in a long line who are mismanaging Greece. They are however the democratically elected government of Greece. If they are pushed out after the referendum, to whom will the Greek people turn? The EU hope to have either a weak and compliant new government or, even better, a technocracy selected in Brussels.

The EU wants Greece to accepts its status as a colony, a de-facto protectorate as Italy did before, and as Bosnia and Kosovo do still. But what if the electorate in Greece express their frustration by voting for an even more extreme alternative than Syriza? Like the Nazi Golden Dawn?

Centralising power in Brussels, driving integration, and preserving the euro dream is more important than any human cost, and certainly more important than democracy and representative government, freedom and the rule of law.

Which way will the Greek people vote? For Eurocrats it is frustratingly uncertain, hence why they are pushing for a change of government whatever the result. Still, despite having Greece in the palm of its hand they can only exert influence, not dictate how they vote: ‘Wouldn’t it therefore be easier to dissolve the people, and elect another in their place?’